Pattaya —
Business owners on Koh Larn heavily criticized the Pattaya City Administration after an island-wide blackout caused by damaged power lines angered tourists and caused damage to businesses worth over 1 million baht.
A video of the power outage can be seen here on our YouTube channel.
The blackout occurred on June 14th, 2024, when Pattaya City’s construction workers accidentally severed the power line that serves as the only source of electricity for the entire Koh Larn. The line is buried under the beach, and it belongs to the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA).
Mr. Suphapan Thopae, a resort owner on Koh Larn, shared with local media that the blackout forced many tourists to demand refunds and cancel their bookings. It also impacted beachfront businesses, particularly restaurants and shops, who were unable to refrigerate fresh seafood and other perishable food ingredients kept for tourists.
Mr. Suphapan claimed that the blackout had caused over 1 million baht in damages, which he wished would be compensated by relevant authorities.
Upon receiving reports of the outage, officials from Pattaya City and the PEA rushed to the beach with heavy equipment to restore power.
According to Mr. Boonthien Jansuuk, Director of the Pattaya City Engineering Department, the city faced a delay in restoring the power because they could not locate the exact position of the damaged line connecting to Koh Larn. He explained that there are two underground power lines buried in the same area: the Koh Larn one and the high-mast line.
Pattaya City had initially been working to repair the high-mast line due to a short circuit. However, during the excavation process, the workers accidentally severed the main power line to Koh Larn.
To prevent this incident from recurring, Mr. Boonthien assured that Pattaya City would relocate the high-mast cable to a new location along the walkway, away from the power line to Koh Larn.
Meanwhile, PEA technicians are currently working to restore power to the island as of the afternoon , which is expected to take 2-3 hours.
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